Abstract

This paper considers the suitability of the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale – Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-cog) as the gold standard in registration trials of treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. Working groups have recommended replacing the ADAS-cog if suitable automated alternatives can be found. This paper makes the case for the Cognitive Drug Research (CDR) computerised cognitive assessment system, as an example of a suitable instrument to replace the ADAS-cog. The CDR system has been widely used in dementia work for 20 years and shows good correlations to the ADAS-cog, while additionally assessing the domains of attention, working memory, information processing and retrieval speed of information held in memory. The utility of the system in evaluating and differentiating the major dementias will be described, as well as its ability to track deterioration over time. Its validation as a core measure of cognitive dysfunction in the dementias will be described, as will work showing that various CDR measures relate closely to activities of daily living. The sensitivity of the CDR system to anticholinesterases will be described in Alzheimer’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s dementia. Finally, the CDR system has a large normative database which allows treatment effects in dementia to be put into an unambiguous clinical perspective.

Copyright / Drug Dosage / Disclaimer

Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher or, in the case of photocopying, direct payment of a specified fee to the Copyright Clearance Center.
Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in goverment regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements.